Junior cornerback Derrick Wells, the Gophers' top returning tackler in the secondary, is questionable for Thursday's season opener against Nevada Las Vegas, coach Jerry Kill said at his news conference Saturday.

Wells, who had two interceptions and eight tackles in the 30-27 triple overtime win at UNLV last season, was slow to recover from a shoulder injury early in fall camp this year. His hamstring then tightened up in practice recently.

Last season, Wells recorded 74 tackles with 10 pass breakups and two interceptions. He started 11 games at safety.

"He progressed well enough shoulder-wise," Kill said. "But (running back Rodrick Williams) broke a run. He was chasing him down and his hamstring tightened up on him some. But again, we have depth in that area. Hopefully, he'll be ready to go but that's a question mark."

Junior Briean Boddy, who was one of the surprise players in fall camp this year, is the likely candidate to replace Wells. Senior Jeremy Baltazar also had one start last season.

Briefly: Junior Marek Lenkiewicz, who started four games last season, is likely to start at left tackle over senior Ed Olson on Thursday. Olson, who started nine games at left tackle last season, was healthy in fall camp after missing spring practice following ankle surgery. But Kill said the Gophers want to take it slow with him.